Tips on Signing Up Your Child for Music Lessons: Part Two

We have already discussed three very important tips and factors when deciding to sign up your child for music lessons. Choosing an appropriate age to start music lessons, as well as choosing the right instrument and a stellar music school for your child should be your top three choices and priority. This blog post will continue where we left off by focusing on even more tips and factors for parents to consider when signing up their child for music lessons.

Consider the Commitment

Figuring out how much time a child has in their weekly schedule is an important factor to consider. If a child is signed up for too many activities and doesn't have the time to commit to practising then it's a good idea to wait until their schedule is less hectic before signing up for music lessons. Learning music takes commitment and discipline through practice. Without practice progress will be slow and this could lead to discouragement for the child which should be avoided. The last thing we want is our children to feel defeated because they are progressing slowly or poorly.

Consider How Much Space You Have at Home

Space can be an issue for some people, especially if they live in a small condo or house. An acoustic piano or an acoustic drum kit are great instruments to start learning on but they are also quite large and noisy. One option is to go the digital route and purchase a digital piano or digital drum kit. Digital pianos can have weighted keys and a full-size keyboard and the ability to control the sound levels on a digital piano or digital drum kit is invaluable.

Consider the Location of the Music School

Convenience saves time and time is quite valuable. If you can find a music school close to your house that has qualified teachers then that is a great option. Remember, just because a music school is close doesn't mean that it's a good school for learning. If a music school doesn't list or promote their teachers or if they have uneducated music instructors then it's best to skip it. Another option for busy parents and children is an in-home music school. Some music schools will send teachers right to your home to teach your child music. This can save a huge amount of commuting time. Travelling to and from a lesson takes time so the in-home option can be best for many people. Taking online music lessons is also a good option. You can take advantage of technological features like screen sharing and video recording for each lesson and there is no travel time. Lessons simply take place in your home on a phone, tablet, or computer.

Consider the Cost

While cost comes into play it shouldn't be the deciding factor. Some music schools are cheaper than others but as the old adage goes: You get what you pay for. If a music school is cheap then chances are they pay their teachers poorly and as a result probably don't have any good teachers.

Consider the Sound Levels or Noise

Some instruments are really loud. Wind and brass instruments and stringed instruments such as the violin, viola, cello, and double bass, as well as an acoustic drum set are quite loud. If you live in a condo or apartment you will need to find a different place to practice since practising at home will simply disturb your neighbours.

Music Lessons with Neighbour Note

At Neighbour Note we employ the highest educated and experienced teachers in the business. This is not a false claim. Two of our Toronto music teachers have been awarded Juno Awards in Jazz and Classical music, while a third music teacher has been nominated for a Juno Award. Some of our Toronto Music Teachers teach music at the University of Toronto and TMU. Ten of our music teachers have completed a PhD or DMA in music. We simply do have the best music teachers in Toronto teaching with us. Sign up for Toronto music lessons with Neighbour Note and see why so many families choose Neighbour Note for music lessons!